A. Helps.
approval, we should arm ourselves with patience, that we may with good conscience go on in good duties to the end.
So much for the three impediments to Constancy. To proceed further, the Constancy that is commanded here, must be understood with, Three things that affect it: A. Helps; B. Vacations; and C. Changes.
A. Helps. Touching Helps, the ordinance of God is for the better continuance of callings; so that customs and tribute are paid to Magistrates; necessary stipends, tithes, and dues are paid to ministers of the word. And Moses says that all those who perform the offices of their callings diligently, and despite all this fall into decay, lacking the blessing of God on their labors, must be helped by lending freely, by forgiving debts, and other similar courtesies (Deu
15.7-8).
60 Let hard-hearted men think upon this — those who will not in such cases lend freely, but prey on such persons till they have sucked their bones. These are the bane and plague of a commonwealth; these are the ones who make beggars and vagabonds. For where there is no free lending, there many a man goes to wrack and ruin.
B. Vacation. This is to cease from doing the duties of a particular calling for some time or space; and it has its warrant from God's word, which allows a vacation in three respects.
(1) First, for RELIGION'S sake, which is the principal vacation of all, and it is commanded in the fourth commandment, Remember the Sabbath Day — that is, the day of rest, or of vacation — to keep it holy.Exo 20.8 And here every man is bound in conscience before God, to cease from the duties of his calling on the seventh day, which is now in the New Testament, the Lord's Day, and so it is to continue to the Last Judgment. And this vacation is necessary even in common reason; for without it, there can be no good proceeding in religion. It is the means to begin, continue, and increase both knowledge and grace. He that has the most excellent natural gifts, will never be able to attain to learning, unless he sets himself apart and gives himself to
study. Much more then, the knowledge of the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven cannot be obtained unless men at some times lay aside all worldly affairs, especially on the Sabbath days.
Therefore it is for the good of families, towns, countries, and kingdoms, that the Lord's Day is kept. And consequently, it is in our
61 to take the benefit of this vacation, and to use it for the increase of faith, repentance, and obedience, if we desire the salvation of our own souls. God, who is the sovereign King over all, might have enjoined us in perpetual labor from one day to another for all the days of our lives; but tendering our good and salvation, he enjoined us to labor six days, commanding a vacation on the seventh. interest (2) The second vacation is in respect to RECREATION, which also has its warrant when it is lawfully used. God commands every man to labor in his calling, and to eat his own bread in the sweat of his brow.Gen
3.19 And in commanding labor, He allows the means that make us fit for labor. And therefore, along with this, He admits lawful recreation, because it is a necessary means to refresh either body or mind, so we may better do the duties which pertain to us. I have spoken of recreation elsewhere; therefore it will suffice now briefly to propound a caveat or two.
Touching recreation, these caveats must be remembered:
First of all, it must be moderate; otherwise it is a means to call and draw us from our callings. Secondly, it must be in lawful things.
Thirdly, it must be on the days of labor, for only then is labor commanded, and therefore recreation — which is a ceasing from labor for a time, and serves only to make us more able to continue in labor — must be on the six days, and not on the Sabbath. Because we must abstain from the ordinary labors of our callings on the Sabbath, we are much more to abstain from our accustomed recreations. For where that which is most necessary and principal is forbidden, there the less necessary is also forbidden: labor is the more necessary and principal, and recreation serves for labor. This being so, it is a
notable abuse of many to make the Lord's Day a set day of sport and pastime, which should be a day set apart for the worship of God, and the increase in the duties of religion. And this is especially the fault of householders, who having employed their servants to labor six whole days together, give them the seventh day, which is the Lord's, for recreation.
(3) A third vacation is in time of NECESSITY, when men are disabled by reason of sickness, age, imprisonment, or any other just impediment.
And the ordinance of God is that those persons who have the 62 should be maintained with those things necessary to life and health, by the labor of other men's callings. This thing must not be marvelled at, for the goods we have are not our own, but the Lord's;1Cor 4.7 we are but keepers and stewards of them. And it is God's will that the poor should have title to a part of every man's goods — and for this cause, it is a shame if they do not have relief without roving, begging, or crying. trembling hand (as Moses speaks of it, Lev 25.35),
And here TWO QUESTIONS are to be examined that are much spoken of, and often moved.
Ques. 1: First, because it is a general duty to visit our neighbors in time of sickness, it is asked Whether it is lawful at all to cease from this duty in time of plague or pestilence?
Ans: I answer, there may be and there is a lawful vacation from this duty, and it may be done with good conscience for some time, and upon some occasion.
For first of all, it is lawful to maintain our own lives; if it is without the hurt or hindrance of the lives of other men. Now, to flee in time of contagious pestilence, is to preserve the life of some without the hurt of any.
Secondly, in common dangers such as famine, fire, and sword, men may flee from their neighbors for their own safety; and therefore, in like proportion, we may flee in times of contagious sickness.
Thirdly, in the Church of the Jews, the leper was put apart from the society of men; and that, in effect, was the same as if all the Jews had withdrawn themselves from his society.
And therefore now, it is not always unlawful to flee in time of contagious pestilence.
Obj: It is alleged that to flee is a flat distrusting of God, as though he would not preserve and defend us.
Ans: I answer that distrusting God is not a fault in the action of fleeing, but in the persons that flee. Men who labor for food and drink, many times distrust the goodness of God; yet the fault is not in
the labor itself, but in the parties that endure the labor.
Obj: Secondly, it is alleged that to flee is to forsake those to whom we are united in the bond of neighborhood, which is unlawful.
Ans: I answer, when the parties visited have sufficient helps appointed by the Magistrate, both for their bodies and souls, then to flee is not to forsake; and in such cases, the parties visited are not to desire the presence of their neighbors.
Obj: It is alleged that David never fled when the people were stricken with the plague.1Chr 21.17
Ans: There are special reasons for it. First, that plague was sent by God suddenly. Secondly, his very sin was the cause of that plague upon the people. Thirdly, David had no cause to flee, because he then was assured that he would escape.1Chr 21.12-13
Thus then, visiting neighbors and friends, though it is a necessary duty, sometimes allows for vacating ourselves; we may with good conscience go aside and seek the safety of ourselves and those that belong to us, if necessary help has otherwise been provided for the sick.
Ques. 2: The second question is Whether the Ministers of the Gospel may flee in time of persecution?
Ans: I answer, they may, if they are freed from the bonds of their callings by which they are tied to their charges. Thus Moses fled to